Page:Robert William Cole - The Struggle for Empire; A Story of the Year 2236 (1900).djvu/180

 CHAPTER XIII

the fighting had been going on at the moon, London was the scene of a frightful panic. The Government had declared war, and sent the first fleet into space with the confident expectation that there would be great victories, followed by fresh acquisitions. But, to their horror, after months of anxious waiting, a message was flashed from Neptune stating that the vast fleet had been totally annihilated. The news could not be kept secret, so in a few minutes it was telegraphed to every quarter of the globe. Horror and consternation were seen everywhere; there was a complete panic. Nearly every house was in mourning for a father, son,